An asinine refrigerant question...
 

If working properly, should the R-134a underneath the hood be cold or hot?

what exactly do you mean.

The refirgerent goes through 2 stages in the system. cold as a liguid through the suction line, drier, evap core, then hot as a gas through the condensor where it gives off it;s heat. The suction lines will be cold to the touch and the pressure lines will be hot

The metal container on the left side in the engine bay that says R134a, bla bla bla. Should THAT be cold if working properly? Mine was damn hot.

asinine is a cool word. it literally translates to "like an ass," which brings me to this question: Why did the English language gods not spell asinine "assinine?"

For those who watch Conan OBryan....Frankenstein has just wasted a moment of your time :D

Dude, and you didn't even answer the question. Haha. :p

if you mean the reciver/drier (i'll look for a pic)

That should be cold if the system is working correctly. does cold air come out the vents?

That's a negative. And I know the compressor won't kick on if there's low refrigerant.

thats right, the system will shut the compressor down if there is not enough or too much pressure.

can you discribe the history of the problem?

another thing, look down and see if the compressor clutch it coming on

not to steal your thread here, but has anyone successfully repressurized their system with one of those autozone DIY kits? Pics or a step by step would be great!!!

Well, I bought it in December. Don't remember if the previous owner said it worked or not. Hot air blows out when I have the AC on. I think the air is cooler whenever it's cooler outside.

first thing to do. see if the compressor is coming on. next, you can take either a gauge and see if you ahve pressure or poke the low side port and see if it;s pressureised. thats the first step.

honestly? it's not worth it. it will not tell you the import things that a real gauge will show you. there are a lot of things to look for when diagnosing AC problems.

it;s hard to see whats going on with just seeing low side pressure, and most kits don;t even show you that much

Thanks. There's a few other things wrong with the damn car. Window motor, stereo went out, bla bla bla..lol..

Well those kits are like 1/3 the price of a pro doing it so I was jsut wondering if it could be done. I discharged the system when I pulled my motor.

if it;s just a matter of it was fine but had to dischrage it, then it;s not so bad. you can't really do much worng in this case. I would just go by the amount the system holds. I will have to look it up but I belive 2 pounds ish. someone jump in if you know how much 134A the system holds.


just do this. if it holds 2 pound.

16 ounces = 1 pound
1 can = 12 ounces (make sure thats the size can you have)


16 oz X 2 pounds = 32 ounces

32oz diveded by 12 ounces gives you 2.6666666 pounds that the system will hold.

adjust the formula as needed